Politics

Van Hollen: Biden relaxed, focused ahead of debate

Vice President Joe Biden is "relaxed but at the same time focused" going into tonight's debate says Maryland congressman Chris Van Hollen, who played the role of Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan during debate preparations.

In an interview with CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes, Van Hollen said the vice president is "in good spirits" and added that Biden has taken the last day to clear his head.

"He had a chance to be in the mock sessions but also [had] time at home with the family and the dog," Van Hollen said, "it was a good opportunity...to focus on all the issues but also take a step back in the last, maybe day, and look at the big picture."

Biden and Van Hollen conducted four full mock debates in Wilmington, Delaware at debate camp, which began informally on Sunday and went into full gear on Monday. Van Hollen said one focus was hammering down on Congressman Ryan's budget plan.

"You've got all these very important points to make because there's just so many possible opportunities to point out what's wrong with the Romney-Ryan plan and you've got to figure out how to condense that and focus your points," he said.